A Hawaiian word meaning simply "person." Whites and Asians began to use it in a disparaging way and for most of the 19th and 20th century it was equivalent to "nigger." In recent times, Hawaiians have made great efforts to "reclaim" the word from its negative associations and often describe themselves as "kanaka maoli" or "native people." That said, non-Hawaiian natives should still excercise great care when attempting to use the term.